Oil-Cleansing - Part 2 AND DIY Yarn Pom-Poms!

This post is a bit delayed and I apologize! I also realized I spelled complexion as complection in last post, brain fart, oh well!

I tried the cleansing for 4 days total and my husband said he did notice a different in the acne looking a little better the first two mornings but after the 3rd, I noticed it getting worse. After the 4th, it was still bad and I got fed up and was tired from work so I skipped and day and thought I'd catch up the next day and forgot; I made up my mind to start again this past Tuesday night and forgot again. So, I may be starting tonight again, just to see if it helps.

A few days after I quit doing the cleansing, (TMI warning, it's relevant so I had to mention it, sorry!)I began my lady problems which had caused me to break out so I am blaming the worsening of my acne those two days on that.

Comment or email me your results if you've done the cleansing!

For a mini-post/addition so you have something new, I found a cool way to make yarn pom-poms! It's not really a new way because everyone on pinterest does it this way, but it definitely works!

Here's the link for the pics I attached and a good tutorial on how to do it. Downside? it's in Spanish. I don't have a good camara right now but hopefully will get it together soon and will be able to do my own.

First, you take your yarn and place the tip of your ball/skein between your first two fingers and wrap the yarn around and around, I did it about 45 times the first time but for thicker poms (which in my opinion are cuter) wrap more; experiment for the best way for you! 

Next, you cut the yarn and take a few inches long piece and thread it through the middle and tie off in the middle of the piece. Take the excess and tie it around the middle of the part left the double-tying I feel just secures it more. For larger or smaller poms, just use one or three+ fingers instead of two. Once tying it off, cut all the loops, trim it up, and fluff it! 

5 - after it is wrapped and tied off
6 - cutting the loops
7 - after the loops are cut, before it's trimmed
8 - finished product!

Also, what I did with the first one, turn it into a cute pom-pom bookmark by leaving an excess of the string you tied it off with!

'Til next time (which will definitely be sooner than two weeks, sorry for the gap!)

- Julie :)

Oil Cleansing - For Better Skin All Around!

All of my life I have had awful acne, cystic, blackheads, whitehead, etc. I have literally had some kind of acne since 3rd grade and I am now 21 years old; as you would expect, I'm pretty tired of it all. I've tried creams, antibiotics, proactiv, nutragena, clearasil, etc!
So when I found the oil cleansing idea, I was ecstatic! I did a little research and started using the one explained on this blog. I started this cleansing regimen on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 after work (it was technically the 17th cause it was after midnight, but it was my Tuesday night, so, yea). Anywho, next morning (my morning, it was like noon, I'm on late/overnight shifts lol) my husband said he noticed it clearing up a little and it is definitely not dry or oily any more, just soft and supple. I usually am oily in t-zone and dry everywhere else with acne all over, so it's a nice change!

According to the directions on the blog:
Buy cold-pressed castor oil (what I got was a $2.68 5oz bottle from walmart, it said "cold pressed" right on the label, found with the laxatives), it pulls out impurities, but be warned, if you're prone to facial hair this is probably not a good oil to go with because it will thicken and elongate hairs (supposedly), which is a good thing if you have thin eyebrows and eyelashes, just dab it along your lashes/brows. Also, buy 100% extra-virgin olive oil (what I bought was a $2 6oz bottle also from walmart with the cooking oils, make sure it does not say "tasting" on the front in small letters) it moisturizes your skin and keeps your glands from over-producing oils (which would cause more acne).
And that's it! Combine the two in the ratio best for your skin type:
For normal skin that you just want to make better, use a ratio of 1:1 (2 tbsp of each oil),
For oily/acne-prone skin, use a ratio of 3:1 Castor to EVOO (3 tbsp of castor oil and 1 tbsp of EVOO),
For dry skin, use a ratio of 1:3 Castor to EVOO (1 tbsp of castor oil and 3 tbsp of EVOO)
These amounts should last about two weeks.
After washing your hands, if wearing makeup, take a piece of a paper towel or cotton ball/pad and dab a drop or two of your oil mixture and just wipe of the foundation/eyeshadow/blush (for eye liner and mascara, use your best judgment, I would just use whatever cleaner you regularly use).
Get a washrag/wash cloth/whatever you call it. Turn on your hot water and right after you cut it on, take about a quarter size in the palm of your hand and massage it into your face. Wet the washrag with the hot water and ring out, let it cool down as much as you need to not burn yourself, but it needs to be able to cause a steam effect. Place on your face and keep it there until it has cooled completely. Once cooled, wipe off all oil off your face. (this part wasn't specified but I felt like it helped) you then rinse the rag out with as-hot-as-you-can-stand water, then apply the rag (the side you did not use to wipe the oil off previously) to your face once again, let sit until cool, then wipe off remaining oil. Let air dry or pat dry.
This blog says to do it at night, and that's what I do too, that way you can get your make up taken off at the end of the day too. If you exercise or shower in the mornings and feel like you need to, you can wash your face like normal and just dab the oil mixture (use very little) to keep your face moisturized and from over-producing oil after.
And that's it, just repeat every night! According to some comments on the blog I got this from it may get a little worse before it gets better, many antibiotics do this too; because it's pulling the impurities out, it will probably show a little more for a little bit, it's normal.
I will show before pictures and updates after a week and again the week after next and will post really early Wednesday morning, like 2am-ish, both weeks.
Thanks for reading and I hope this helps both you and I!
- Julie :)